Age of Dragon: A New Home
by Ryker Davis
Summary: Age of Dragon Cycle one shots 9.10 Dragon -Kings don't always get what they want when they need to put the needs of the kingdom first. Maric meets his son and has to ask his brothers in law to due their duty to Ferelden as well. Set two hours after the end of the book "The Calling" (20 years before the blight.


9:10 Dragon, 22 Kingman - Alistair

Standing in the middle of the great hall Maric scrutinized the home. It wasn't Redcliff, Rowan's ancestral home but you could feel the family history in this place. With the estate being so close to the Castle it was no wonder she spent more time here than there. Calian was growing close to his uncles and that was a good thing. He looked at many of the tapestries on the wall while he waited for the servants to wake the Arl and his brother. He could be patient since he chose the dead of night to visit.

The two wall hangings of Mabari reminded him of the puppy he had given Calian five months ago. He was grateful for the suggestion of Loghain on that. The shy boy was beginning to come out of his shell now because of the hound. Calian still clung to his leg when it was time to go to bed. In the last three and a half years since Rowan's death he had been depending on the commander of his armies for more than just military support. With Loghain' s daughter ten this winter he had more parenting knowledge. He was just learning to be a father which was strange as he never really knew how to be a son.

"Your majesty," the dark-haired man said entering the room. His younger brother behind him rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Eamon, Teagan, please at this hour do not stand on ceremony. My deepest apologies for the lateness of the hour but I needed to discuss something sensitive."

The brothers looked at each other in confusion and then looked to the King. Eamon gestured both his brother and his widowed brother-in-law to the chairs in front of the fire. "Is everything alright with Calian."

"Yes, yes, the rascal is fine. He and Captain are going on many adventures in the castle. They have become quite inseparable. The effects of his mother's death and his father's abandonment lessen every day and he is able to smile a little more now."

That is good your… Maric," Teagan replied with a yawn. Maric noted with some satisfaction the nineteen year old was attempting to grow his beard out, and at the moment it was fairly patchy. It meant he was beginning to settle a little.

The door opened and a servant entered. "Your majesty, my lords would you like me to bring the ale or a flagon of wine?"

Maric shook his head imperceptibly hoping Eamon would send the servant away until he knew the outcome of the meeting. Both men had every right to decline his request.

Seeing that the king wished privacy Eamon brushed the servant off with the directions to return to bed and if they needed something, they would get it themselves. The servant very much doubted that the human nobles would lift a finger to help themselves but did as he was told none the less.

When the door was firmly shut behind the elf Maric cleared his throat and said, "Your family's loyalty to the crown has never been in question. Your parents gave up everything to fight alongside my mother and myself under the occupation. And you did your duty without the desire for personal riches or the title of Teyrn given. Even your sister who I entered a political marriage with asked for nothing more than a home here in Denerim where she could visit her family as often as she liked. But I am going to ask a favor that is worth more than all the things I could offer as King. And if you choose to say no your family's loyalty will still remain unquestioned as far as I am concerned."

Eamon grew concerned. Teagan, Loghain and himself had worried when he left with the Grey Wardens almost a year ago lost and shaken by his wife's death. But when he returned elven months ago, he seemed as if he had put the personal demons behind him. Reached out to his son in a way he hadn't before Rowan's death. There was even more willingness to be involved in the daily running of the country.

Teagan voiced his concern. "Your majesty is everything alright?"

"I would not ask this of your family as you have given so much already. But I can not trust Loghain with something this important."

Eamon didn't know what to say. Loghain was the most loyal man in all the Kingdom of Ferelden. He had even given up the woman he loved to the king to rebuild. Eleven months ago, he had rescued the king and the Grey Wardens from Kinloch Hold and an Orleasian coup. "My King, are you accusing Loghain Mac Tir of disloyalty?"

"No. Not yet. Maybe never."

"Forgive me Your Majesty, but you are not making sense. Do you have reason to suspect the Teyrn of treachery?" Teagan asked somberly.

Maric thought of the hedge witch in the wilds and shivered. Her prophecy that Loghain would betray him kept him up at night. He could not send the man to the dungeons for something he was to do. Nor could he keep him away from Denerim where he could no longer watch the man. Curse the witch for make him doubt his staunch supporter. "When…Loghain and I were captured by the Dalish we were turned over to the Witch of the Wilds. And she helped us escape."

"We know this story." Teagan said impatiently.

"Teagan," Eamon admonished his nineteen-year-old brother.

"Is alright, Eamon. I should get to the point as time is running out. The witch saved us but under one condition. There was a promise to fulfill later. And two warnings. We will have a Blight here in Ferelden and if I were to keep Loghain close he will betray me, each time worse than the last."

"No! Not Loghain. He is the commander of your armies. He would never betray his King. Surely you can not trust the Witch," Teagan bellowed.

Teagan's shout roused the infant Maric had concealed under the long riding cape. He had been fortunate the child had slept this long. He just hoped to get a few more minutes as he lightly giggled the tiny body. "Teagan, I understand. Trust me, I do. You do not know how many nights I have laid awake agonizing over this. Or how many decisions I make that he doesn't agree with that I wonder will this be the one. But I do know that it is coming. I was in the deep roads. And the Architect has the location of at least one old god. I have a feeling so deep that she spoke the truth. Which is why I have brought the Wardens back to Ferelden. We will have a blight in Ferelden and from the way the Witch spoke it will be within our life time though I will not be alive to see it."

"What would your Majesty like us to do? Neither Teagan or I have power in the Bannorm to go against him."

"No my friend I have an even more difficult task for you than that. One that will require years of subterfuge. One I do not ask lightly, or even have the right to ask. But you are my brothers… if only by marriage."

Maric would have said more but the small wail cut him off. He pulled the small bundle from beneath his cloak and looked at the crying child. He jiggled the infant and when that didn't work placed his crocked little finger in the tiny mouth. The little boy stopped crying and suckled eagerly. "This is my son Alistair. I need you to raise him."

"Ahh… Your majesty no." Eamon said emphatically.

"How could you ask us to take in your bastard. Your wife was our sister," Teagan scoffed.

Maric sighed. He knew it was a long shot and deep down he knew that his wife's family would reject his son and he hadn't even told them difficult part. "Alistair is only two months old. I was never unfaithful to your sister. While we did not love one another romantically, we grew to care for each other deeply. I would never dishonor her with another woman."

He took a deep breath at Teagan's snort. "I was in morning over my Queen. I was lost trying to figure out how to raise a son who lost his mother when he was three. And trying to come to terms with being the King I never wanted to be. It was life and death and I found solace in another woman's arms. She was a Grey Warden and it was meant only as comfort for the both of us."

Eamon looked at the child in his Kings arms and smiled at the chubby bundle and then frowned. "Legends tell that Grey Wardens cannot have children."

Maric shrugged jostling the child who had fallen back asleep. "I know not. Neither did his mother. Only that she showed up with Duncan this eve and gave me our child. She had two requests. That I not raise him as royalty and that he be told his mother was a human woman who died giving birth to him."

"Oh, my king. What a mess."

Teagan swallowed a little of his anger. He wasn't in a place to judge the man who married his sister. He was aware Rowan's heart lie with Loghain. And she was content with dying as it released her from the promise, she had made the Teyrn to help rebuild their country. Her only regret was not that she was leaving Maric or Calian but that she was leaving them unprepared for each other. He also knew the difficult time Maric had with her death. "You do know that as the king you do not have to take her wishes into consideration right, your Majesty? You are the King of Ferelden."

Maric smiled grimly. "I do. But there are several things to consider. Your sister's reputation being my main concern. Then there is the fact he is elf-blooded, and his mother was a Mage Grey Warden. And there will be those in the future who might want to use a bastard on the throne for their own benefit."

"My King," Eamon sighed. "I understand drowning your sorrows in drink and women, but why could you have not just visited the Pearl and taken advantage of professional prostitutes. Problems like this could have been avoided. This is what you were thinking as to Loghain's betrayal."

"It would fit but I had not considered that until this moment. I know how many times growing up I wished I had a brother or sister. But neither his mother or I want the rivalry of the heir and the child who is not eligible. The Bannorm would never allow an elfbood or possible Mage to sit on the throne of Ferelden, Therin or not."

"What does his majesty need us to do," a defeated Eamon asked.

Maric understood what his brother in law was acquiescing to and appreciated the support. "I do not expect your lives to stop. Marry and have heirs of your own. But let him be family. He is Calian's little brother and you are his uncles by that fact alone. He may know who his father is, but others may not. I will support him and pay for his care. When he is old enough, he can be trained in the army and hopefully the danger to claiming him as my son will be mitigated and he can have a relationship with his brother."

"That is hoping we are not all swallowed by the blight. How should we start preparing for that eventuality?"

"Maker forbid," Maric intoned. "Fortify your homes, strengthen your Banns, recruit and keep an army with in your Alrdom. Do not use the word blight it will only terrify them. Instead use the recent covert operation of Orlais to train and keep more troops. Make Teagan happy and sponsor more tourneys to find strong enlisted men then allow Duncan and the Wardens to recruit from some of them. We need to assist getting the Wardens back to full strength. They should have been allowed back in Ferelden years ago. We may pay for our oversite later."

Eamon sighed. He had not intended to go back to Redcliff this soon. He had been looking a prospective wife for both himself and Teagan. It was time the boy settled down to his Bann in Rainsisfere and started taking his responsibilities seriously instead of all the tourneys he continually participated in. "There is a servant back in Redcliff that was got herself in a situation with a Bann's son and the two ran away. We can say Alistair is her child and she died instead of running off."

"What about the Bann's son?" Teagan asked.

"The last I heard they went to Antiva to avoid his mother's wrath. It will be years before he comes home if ever. There is another wrinkle though. The maid had a ten-year-old daughter. We will need to do something with her. Goldanna was her name I think."

Maric waived the newest wrinkle away with a brush of the hand and gazed into the face of his youngest son. "Set her up to work here at the estate in Denerim or at the castle. I will give you coin to make it happen."

Teagan cleared his throat and said, "Maric, you do know Eamon and I are bachelors and know nothing about raising a child."

"You don't say. All I ask is that he be raised with love and discipline," Maric said chuckling. "I will also give you a monthly allowance for a wet nurse for him and a nanny. If he has his brother's appetite, he will be hungry in a few minutes. I had a wet nurse feed him before I left the castle. I will send her over until you can find one of your own. Look at him, Eamon, Teagan he looks so much like Calian did at his age."

Teagan took the small bundle and smiled as the child scrunched up his face as if to cry and then relaxed into normal baby sleep. "What's this?" He asked pulling the silver locket from beneath the folds in the swaddling.

Maric took the necklace with the locket pendant. "It's Rowan's locket. I gave it to her the year she had Calian. I had the royal jewelers engrave it with her name. I took it with me when I went to the Deep Rhodes with the Grey Wardens. I took it to remind myself I had something I needed to return home for. I thought I lost it when we were captured. I wonder if Duncan or Fiona found it. Let Alistair have it with that the boys can share a mother and uncles… if only symbolically."

"My King," Eamon said seriously. "If I am going to raise him. I am going to take him to Redcliff. And you are going to have to let me raise him. I can not have the king of Ferelden second guessing my child rearing. I am not denying you from the child. I just do not want him to get the wrong understanding."

Maric sighed sometimes being the king meant he had to make the hard decisions. And this had been the hardest one he had to face as of yet. But he knew what Eamon said was correct and if he continually put his nose in the middle of how the boy was raised then he should just raise him at the castle with Calian. "Alright I agree. But I want to see Alistair. I want him included when I bring Calian to visit. One day I wish for them to get to know each other. You will write letters and give me updates on his progress."

'Agreed you Majesty."

Maric walked over to Teagan shifted the small bundle into his arm, kissed the boy on his forehead. When the little hand clenched into a fist fought to get out of the swaddling Maric used his thumb on Alistair's forehead to sooth him. One last look at the child he was being required to give up and then he turned on his heel and strode out of the room. Leaving two very tired occupants now the sole guardians of the little prince.

Once outside Eamon's residence Maric met his guard in the Gnawed Noble Tavern downing a pint of dwarven ale. He would need something stronger when he got back to the palace but for now, he could drown his sorrows in bad alcohol and comradery of his men at arms. He didn't know if meeting Fiona was the best thing or the biggest mistake of his life. Only the Maker knew for sure.


End file.
